Lois McMaster Bujold has a new Miles Vorkosigan novel out, and in preparation I'm reading back through the series as a very enjoyable refresher. Just finished Young Miles
last night, and now I'm off on Miles, Mystery & Mayhem
, perhaps under an electric blanket.When it was mentioned that the NTSB was at the explosion site in south Indy, airplane crash rumors briefly circulated. Nope, turns out the NTSB's investigative bailiwick includes pipeline accidents, which I guess makes a certain sort of sense if you look at it all squinty-eyed, since pipelines are transporting things. I learned that little factoid from reading about the San Bruno pipeline explosion in the book Crazifornia
, thanks to a reader.The news is on in the other room. The newsreader is telling me about violence in the Middle East. I don't know why he is doing this, because violence in the Middle East is practically the opposite of news.
"Oh! Palestinians are rocketing Israeli territory!" I was unaware they'd ever stopped. Any insurance company that underwrites anything within rocket range of the Gaza Strip deserves whatever they get, they're a worse insurance risk than Atlantic beachfront homes. "But, look! The Israelis are massing tanks on the border!" Wow, it's been almost three whole years since they last did that...
One thing this round of rockets vs JDAMs has going for it is the absolutely surreal quality to the warporn. I can't find it now, but I was fascinated by a video taken at a wedding where the festivities took a time out to listen to the air raid sirens and watch the Iron Dome ABMs do their thing... then the dancing started again.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fascinating that both sides are assiduously courting re-Tweets as a major strategic goal.
ReplyDeleteIt's ONLY interesting when Israel responds, then everybody jumps on the "stop the violence" bandwagon... And the MSM blindly follows, including false victims etc...
ReplyDeleteMost every insurance policy I've seen in 17 plus years in te business has a war/terrorism damage exclusion. Just for such craziness.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear, the new Bujold book has a Miles cameo, but it's really a Vorpatril book. And it was great.
ReplyDeleteI did the same with the Vorkosigan series earlier this year, when I finally got far enough down in the "to read stack" (currently about 1500 books deep... and that's just the ones I actually have on hand never mind the wish list) to hit "Cryoburn".
ReplyDeleteVery glad I did. I hadn't read the Vorkosigan books in years... Since shortly after college I think (more than 15 years)? Quite some time anyway.
note: anal as I am, before hitting "publish" I actually looked it up. I hadn't read them since 1999's "a civil campaign"... and thinking that 1999 was 13 years ago makes me feel very very old
Of course, the fact that they were all included on a DVD with Cryoburn didn't hurt. God I do love Baen.
Also I realized that the Kris Longknife series borrowed more from Miles Vorkosigan than Honor Harrington (or the inspiration for either of them, Hornblower and Aubrey).
ZICAM QUICKER THE BETTER.
ReplyDeleteYup, the Ivan book was excellent, and didn't end with a gut-kick like Cryoburn. (Not really a spoiler, I should think. No details, for those who haven't read it yet.)
ReplyDeleteHave you read Winterfair Gifts yet?
The s'poldys in Gaza sound very pretty this morning.
ReplyDeleteYou have readers *at* the NTSB...
ReplyDeleteThe rocket attacks seem to have increased in intensity in the couple of weeks since the election. It is now clear to all concerned that Israel does not have a large reliable ally anymore. As a result the various
ReplyDeleteArab groups see an opportunity, and Israel probably sees the need to clean up the minor irritations on its flanks in preparation for the larger threats that are looming.
The upcoming re-occupation of Gaza is legitimate news, if only because it is likely to be the opening move in a much bigger story.
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ReplyDeleteHa- oh crap- wrong link. I love my crew. I hope that deleted. Must remember not to leave my laptop out anymore.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/11/18/america-israel-gaza-the-world/
ReplyDeleteOK, fixed, and not linking to porn this time. The above is a great quick read on why the Europeans don't consider themselves anti-semites.
Hah! I've been hoping she'd write a story for Ivan ever since I first found that series. Want want want...
ReplyDeleteTechnical reconstruction of things that explode? NTSB has some experience in that. Beats creating a new organization...
ReplyDeleteThat pipeline originates in my town, IIRC.
ReplyDeleteWhich most likely puts it in the DANGER-CLOSE category. Cheerful thought for the morning.
I expect that it is a common situation in high population areas.
Then, of course, we have the added thrill factor of being earthquake country. The confluence could be highly "entertaining".
Old NFO is right, Palestinians shooting rockets into Israel for the past 10 years has had a sort of "Sun Rose in East This Morning" effect on our Leftist and Muslim fellow-traveler media.
ReplyDeleteThe real mystery is all this yap about ending the cycle of violence, which still has a moral element to it, since we all know there are two points in the cycle it can stop, one is moral, the other immoral. The Leftist media recognizes that in male-on-female spousal abuse, but, strangely, nowhere else.
They're re-doing our gas-pipes down here based on that experience up the road. When it blew they thought it was an airplane gone down from SFO that hit the houses - and PG&E denied that the line was theirs. Sure as hell wasn't Macy's...
ReplyDeleteI'd kind of like to see Slim Pickens dance Hava Nagila on a bomb bound for Gaza central.
ReplyDeleteKind of funny to put in links to the previous books but not the new one:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Captain-Vorpatrils-Alliance-Vorkosigan-Saga/dp/1451638450/ref=pd_vtp_b_8